What The Obama White House Just Threatened Blows Up ‘Cooperation’ With The New Congress

The day after the November midterm elections in which Republicans vanquished a boatload of Democrat candidates and swept into undisputed power on Capitol Hill, President Obama noted that the GOP had a “good night.” He also indicated he was ready to “cooperate” with the new congress and, as the New York Times reported:

He also said he would seek compromises in the coming months on trade deals, tax changes, infrastructure spending and an immigration overhaul.

Apparently that era of “cooperation” and “compromise” is already coming to an end — or at least having severe limitations put on it — just as the 114th Congress of the United States is sworn in and ready for business.

In his daily press briefing, White House spokesman Josh Earnest threw down the gauntlet. Earnest says that President Obama would veto the Keystone XL pipeline authorization bill, which appears to have a very good chance of winning bi-partisan approval in the GOP-controlled congress.

CNN reports that a vote on the long-delayed pipeline project is imminent:

Newly minted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has scheduled a vote on the Keystone XL pipeline project as the first of the new Congress.

The bill has some bipartisan support, but environmentalists and progressives have heavily lobbied the White House to oppose the pipeline.

Obama’s out-of-the-gate veto threat stirred social media activity from reporters and commenters who filled Twitter with their reactions:

Boom. First veto threat of 2015. @PressSec says the president would not sign the Keystone bill